


ways to say i love you

by otherinfinities



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, idk its all pretty silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 06:52:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1183204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otherinfinities/pseuds/otherinfinities
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Olive him, Niall,” He says seriously, picking up an olive from the salad and holding it near his cheek.<br/>Niall snorts and smacks him on the back.<br/>“Shut the fuck up and tell him.”</p><p>(or, Harry is silly and nervous to say those three words)</p>
            </blockquote>





	ways to say i love you

**Author's Note:**

> This is fluffy and silly and made me warm to write during this polar vortex.  
> Wildly untrue, I'm not associated with One Direction, blah blah blah.  
> Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  
>  
> 
> **update:** this has been translated into [Polish](http://larrys-paradise.tumblr.com/post/87481792222/one-shot-ways-to-say-i-love-you-tlumaczenie) which is very exciting that people care enough to do that. Thank you to everyone who has read/left kudos!!

“Louis,” Harry says with face held still and eyes shining, “I love you.”

The world doesn’t stop, his heart doesn’t explode, people don’t run screaming. In fact, everything is exactly as it was and Harry is still staring at himself in the mirror.

He sighs and says it again with more force, “I love you.” It’s still somehow wrong. Or maybe Harry is wrong. God, why is this so _hard_?

He and Louis have been dating for six months and he’s surprised no one has said _it_ yet, except Louis isn’t always one for words and Harry is nervous. It’s not that they don’t love each other because they do. Or at least, Harry’s pretty sure Louis loves him. Just like he’s pretty sure Louis knows he’s head over heels for him. But you can never be too certain.

They’ve never said _I love you_ and Harry’s decided he’s going to change that. So here he is in front of the mirror repeating it over and over again just so he can get it right. He’ll get it perfect, he has to.

“I love you.”

“I _love_ you.”

“ _I_ love you.”

“I love _you_.”

“Love ya too, mate,” an Irish accent says from the door. Harry is startled and whips around to stare at Niall, knocking over several things on sink in the process.

“Niall,” Harry groans, “help me.”

Niall looks at him pityingly for a moment before laughing loudly and walking out. He has the worst friends.

 

~

 

It’s a Friday night and Harry and Louis are cuddling on the couch waiting for Liam to arrive while Zayn and Niall are heatedly discussing the merits of boybands. Louis absently scratches at Harry’s curls and Harry traces patterns on Louis’ thigh. Harry thinks he’d like to stay like this for the night, tell the boys he and Louis will sit out the pub night in favor of a quiet night in. But they did that the last two times so Niall would probably drag them out by their hair anyway.

Truth be told, though, Harry wouldn’t mind spending every night like this, cuddling on the couch, watching a movie. Maybe they could get a cat and add a warm little fluff ball to the pile. He’d like a cat and he thinks Louis would too. He’d complain at first but Harry would win him over with the combined cuteness of the cat and himself. What would be the best route to go when getting a cat? Buy from a litter or adopt? Probably adopt and give an orphan kitten a nice home. He and Louis would take very good care of the little thing. But, of course, Louis would have to move in to help care for their cat. _Oh my god,_ _Louis should move in_.

“That could be us, don’t you think, Haz?” Niall asks, suddenly ripping Harry from his daydream.

“Huh?” He asks, unaware of the conversation that was happening around him. Niall is looking at him expectantly, Zayn looks like he knows what Harry was thinking, and Louis is still scratching at his head.

“Niall wants us to start a boyband,” Louis laughs.

Harry is saved from a response by a knock at the door signaling Liam’s arrival and their cue to leave. Harry goes to his room to grab his coat and comes back to the front door to meet the boys.

“Has anyone seen my hat?” As he looks up he sees Louis with his gray beanie on his head and a look of feigned innocence. Harry should have known he’d steal his hat. He looks so cute and, shit does Harry love him.

“I lo– ” Louis’ eyes widen and Harry panics. “Uh, left it in my room. I…yeah,” Harry stutters and runs back to his room. Never mind that Harry just came from his room or that the hat in question is atop Louis’ head or that he managed to fool no one. He shuts the door behind him and catches his breath for a moment before thinking of his next move. He figures he’ll just go back out and act like nothing happened.

When his phone vibrates he pulls it out of his pocket to see a new message from Zayn.

**smooth**

Literally the worst friends.

 

~

 

Thursday Harry decides he’s finally going to do it. He’s kicked Niall out and invited Louis over for dinner. It will be simple and romantic, but nothing too out of the ordinary for them. So in a word, perfect. That is, if Harry can get it together and actually say the damn thing.

The lasagna is in the oven and Harry is working on making a salad which Louis won’t want to eat but Harry will force him to anyway.

“I’ve felt this way for a long time,” Harry practices, “and I just wanted to say that I love you. I’m in love with you.”

“It’s just a salad, mate.”

Fuck Niall. Honestly, he has the worst timing.

“Don’t mock me, this is big.”

“Nah, Louis knows you love him, and he’s crazy for you too,” Niall says, picking bits of pepperoni from the salad. “Now is there any chance I can get some of that lasagna before he gets here?”

Harry just laughs and gets the tray he had set aside earlier. He hands it over to Niall who lifts up the tinfoil lid reading “For Niall” and sees the pasta inside.

“What a lad!” Niall exclaims. “Louis is lucky to have ya.”

Harry’s not so sure. If anything he’s lucky to have Louis because Louis is funny and makes him laugh all the time and he laughs at Harry’s jokes even though they are almost always lame. Louis is impatient and always on the go but he’ll slow down for Harry and doesn’t complain too much when he tells lengthy boring stories. So, yeah, Harry is the lucky one. Maybe he should work that into his “I love you” speech. Perhaps he’ll save it for the proposal though. _Oh god, proposal._

He’s thought about it before. One day getting down on one knee and asking Louis to marry him. It’s not like it’s so crazy, he doesn’t really see his life with anyone else at this point. But how will he ever propose if he can’t even say “I love you”. Harry is getting ahead of himself.

As if Niall senses his internal crisis he moves to place and hand on his shoulder “Good luck, man.” He smiles sympathetically and Harry just looks at him for a moment.

“ _Olive_ him, Niall,” He says seriously, picking up an olive from the salad and holding it near his cheek.

Niall snorts and smacks him on the back.

“Shut the fuck up and tell him.”

 

~

Harry doesn’t tell him. He meant to, he really did, it just was never the right time. Except that’s a lie because there were several “right times”. It was the right time when Louis had arrived bundled up and damp from the rain looking so cute Harry had to kiss him on the nose. It was the right time when he sat on the counter sipping wine, swinging his feet, and occasionally pulling Harry in for a kiss. It was the right time when Louis made a fuss over eating his veggies, or when they played footsies under the table, or when Louis climbed into Harry’s lap and snogged him senseless.

Each time Harry thought it but his mouth didn’t seem to get the memo. Then suddenly Louis was unbuttoning Harry’s pants and his mouth became otherwise occupied.

So, no, he didn’t tell Louis and he pays for it later when comes home Niall whacks him senselessly with a pillow. But it’s the thought that counts. Right?

 

~

 

It’s Friday night and they’re celebrating. Harry just got a promotion at the magazine he works for, Liam is finally bringing Allie, the girl he’s been seeing, out to meet the boys, Zayn woke up before noon, and Niall just likes to celebrating being alive. So yes, _celebrating_.

The night had started off with shots of whiskey before Harry moved onto several rounds of something colorful, fruity, and very vodka infused. He quickly surpasses the buzzed phase and heads straight for drunk. _Drunk in love_ , Harry thinks. He is so in love with Louis. He should tell him. That would be a good idea. He should do that right now, go right up to him and say, “Love Louis I.”

“What’s that, mate?” Liam asks. Huh, where’d Louis go? He misses Louis, Louis should come back. Harry loves Louis.

“I gotta tell ‘im, Lee-yum,” Harry slurs. He stumbles and Liam steadies him with a hand on his elbow.

“Woah there, maybe you should wait til tomorrow when you’re sober and can actually speak properly.”

“Nononono,” Harry shouts wriggling free of Liam’s grip. Liam is really no help. He needs to find Louis, lovely Louis, little Louis, lilac Louis. Harry giggles. _Louis_.

Harry ends up bumping into him coming out of the bathroom.

“Oops,” Louis laughs, grabbing hold of the silly drunk boy.

“Hiiiiiii,” Harry grins.

“Let’s get you home, shall we?” Louis tucks an arm around Harry’s waist and guides him to the door, saying a quick goodbye to the lads.

“Go get ‘im, ‘arry!” Niall shouts after them.

In the cab Harry covers Louis’ body with his own if just for warmth.

“Get off you giant,” Louis complains, weakly pushing at Harry’s tangle of limbs.

“But Loooouis,” Harry whines and begins to cover his face with sloppy kisses. Louis just laughs. He takes his boyfriend’s face between his hands and kisses him twice on the lips. That seems to satisfy Harry and he settles against Louis’ shoulder.

 

~

 

“Louis, Louis, Louis, Lou-eeee! Louis, Louis, Louis, Lou-ahhh!” Harry sings as he follows Louis up the steps to his flat. Louis lets them in with his own set of keys because he has those. Which reminds Harry, why doesn’t Louis just move in? He should move in. And cat. There should be cat.

There was something else though, something he had to tell Louis.

“Lou,” Harry whispers as the older boy leads him to bed. “Lou, I have to tell you something.”

“And what would that be, Hazza?” he responds fondly while pulling off Harry’s shoes and pants. Harry huffs a sigh of frustration. What was it he had to tell Louis? He can’t seem to remember.

“Important, Lou” he mumbles, “it was very important.”

Louis covers him in the duvet and presses a kiss to his temple. “Then tell me tomorrow, angel.”

“No! Come back,” Harry yells as Louis goes to leave. “Stay.”

“I’m just going to get you some water. I’ll be right back, baby.”

Water, Harry should have water. Louis takes such good care of him. Harry really loves Louis.

Suddenly he sits straight up in bed.

“Olive you!” Harry shouts.

“What?” Louis asks turning back to Harry.

Harry is not about to turn back now. He’s so confident and sure, he says it again. “Olive,” he says slowly, “you.” He pokes a finger into Louis’ chest. Louis smirks and his face wrinkles in amusement.

“Wait, no,” Harry says, realizing his mistake, “ _love_ you. I love you.”

He can feel the bed dip beside him and Louis wrap his arms around him. He kisses him softly and with that Harry falls asleep.

 

~

 

Harry wakes up with a massive headache and a boy plastered to his side. He dips his head down to kiss Louis’ head lightly when he remembers, very vaguely, the events of the night before. He told Louis he loved him. He actually did it. He hopes he didn’t screw it up or make a fool of himself. But judging by the way Louis is curled around him, he couldn’t have done too bad.

He carefully extracts himself from the sleeping boy’s grip and heads to the kitchen to make breakfast. He’s at the stove scrambling eggs when arms snake around his torso and a warm body presses up against his back. Harry smiles.

“What’s up,” he says nonchalantly.

“Nothing much, just,” Louis gets on his tiptoes to whisper in Harry’s ear, “olive you, that’s all.”

Harry pauses, wondering if he heard Louis correctly or not. Suddenly he remembers his ridiculous acclamation of love and groans. He turns to face Louis with a shameful expression but is met with the brightest smile he has ever seen.

“Olive you a lot, you dummy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me at [yoursunkissedlight](http://www.yoursunkissedlight.tumblr.com)


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